New York: Telegraph & NG Traveler Online Guides

by Kelly Amabile on

Looks like I’m not the only one with a New York City state of mind this week. The Telegraph recently introduced a new weekly online travel guide, and this week’s featured city is the one and only NYC. The colorful six-page PDF guide contains their top five picks for hotels, restaurants and city sites.

And while the Telegraph guide focuses on more high-end and lux attractions like night clubs and shopping, another new online NYC resource out this week from National Geographic Traveler offers up the exact opposite — a fun list of completely FREE Things to do in NYC. This extensive list of links includes calendar info for cultural events throughout the city, as well as park and outdoor activity suggestions. Just in time for the nice weather…

I’ll also use this opportunity to remind you about one of Gadling’s favorite online guides to NYC, the ever-informative NewYorkology we mention from time to time — clearly the resident experts in the study of this great city of ours.

I’ve got one more New York guidebook suggestion coming up tomorrow as part of this week’s I Love New York One for the Road tribute. It’s a perfect selection for weekend activities in and around NYC. Get your boots on…

One for the Road: Dorothy Parker’s New York

by Kelly Amabile on

The ArtPlace Series from Roaring Forties Press is one of my all-time favorites. The concept is fantastic — each book describes the life of an artist (or group of artists) as it relates to the city that he/she/they lived in. The possibilities are endless, and in New York alone I’m sure a whole sub-series of titles could be created.

The one they have published for NYC is a real winner: A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York is a unique guide that explores over 100 locations associated with the famous poet, drama critic and political activist. Written by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, founder of the Dorothy Parker Society, the book takes travelers on a thorough and well-documented tour of the places where she lived and worked. Readers can use the five maps and 150 illustrations to trace the footsteps of this celebrated writer and founding member of the Algonquin Round Table.

Fitzpatrick conducts occasional literary walking tours in NYC that explore the haunts and homes of Parker and other members of the Algonquin Round Table. The next one is coming up on May 13. And this June marks the 40th anniversary of Parker’s death — a special celebration at the Algonquin Hotel is planned for August 22. Sign up for the Society’s newsletter to receive more info about that and other upcoming events.

Coney Island Mermaid Parade, June 23

by Willy Volk on

Founded in 1983, the Mermaid Parade is an annual event that only New Yorkers could stage. Simultaneously honoring Coney Island’s historic Mardi Gras (that lasted from 1903 to 1954), while celebrating the sand, sea, salt air, and the beginning of summer, all kinds of participants dress in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, sea creatures, lighthouses, Coney Island post cards, amusement rides, antique cars, yachts, and more. Apparently, the primary reason for the fun is the goofy costumes — or lack thereof.

Don’t get too tired from all the parade excitement, because the parade is followed by the Mermaid Parade Ball, featuring live music, sideshow acts, and burlesque shows.

This year’s Memaid Parade is scheduled for June 23. It might be enough of a reason to head to NYC during the summer. If you need some nudging, check out NPR’s coverage of the 2004 event, in which 250,000 people attended.

New York: Bowl at the Bus Station

by Kelly Amabile on

While it dons an exposed ceiling and unpainted walls, the lanes at Leisure Time Bowl in the Port Authority Bus Terminal are still drawing crowds. Bowlers don’t seem to mind the half-finished decor, as long as there’s beer, music and automatic scoring machines that add properly.

Last Saturday night the place was packed when I arrived with a few friends. Early for our 10 pm reservation, we grabbed some drinks in the malodorous lobby bar that shakes every time a bus rumbles overhead. The new mahogany island bar referred to in this lame renovations update appears to have been installed, however we didn’t see anyone serving drinks from it. But the DJ was spinning tunes and the only lanes available were for those with advanced reservations. Walk-ins are welcome, but pickings will be slim in the evenings. And after 9 pm no one under the age of 21 is admitted.

Play can be purchased by game (staring at $6.50) or per hour (starting at $50) and rates increase for evenings, weekends and holidays. It’s cheapest to bowl before 5 pm, but they do run Night Owl specials and discounts if you reserve online. If you’re in town and just itching to get your game on, this place is definitely worth a visit. We all love bowling because it’s so darn cheesy, and what could be cheesier than bowling in the back of a dingy bus station on a Saturday night? Be sure to order a $50 Tower of Beer too, because no bus station bowling experience is complete without one.

One for the Road: NYC Lonely Planet Guide

by Kelly Amabile on

The I Love NY tourism slogan turns thirty in 2007, so to honor this great state, I’ll be highlighting a variety of travel books related to New York all week. Since I currently live in New York State and work in New York City, I’ve managed to accumulate a rather unique collection of guidebooks. But to kick things off, I’ll begin with a basic no-brainer suggestion:

Whether your visiting New York for the first or the fifth time, Lonely Planet’s 2006 NYC City Guide will come in handy at some point during your Gotham travels. When I started working in Manhattan again last fall (after almost ten years away from the city), I turned to LP’s guide, and have kept it safely stashed in my desk at work. It has helped reacquaint me with the city’s neighborhoods and grid layout, and the condensed, easy-to-read pull-out map has been a useful resource to keep tucked in my purse.

Brooklyn definitely gets special play in this guide that’s primarily Manhattan focused. “Brooklyn and the Outer Boroughs” are grouped together in an introductory overview. But there is substantial content on the sites and sounds of Brooklyn throughout the book, including two walking tours among the 11 suggested. There are also sleek, glossy, full-color photo chapters on NYC architecture and Central Park. You can’t go wrong with this book if you’re a guidebook traveler, but I’d also suggest it as a decent gift for recent transplants to NYC, or folks returning home to the Big Apple who may be in need of a refresher course on this city of constant change.